Associate Director
Indigenous Students Leap Ahead (ISLA)
Centennial, Colorado, United States
Steven Haas is a passionate advocate for instructional techniques that are respectful of the traditional visual-spatial learning style of 80% of Native American children. The natural synergy of culturally responsive instruction with culturally responsive curricular content opens the door to strength-based programming and instruction, replacing the frustration of endless auditory-sequential remediation and catch-up.
Mr. Haas, Associate Director of Indigenous Students Leap Ahead (ISLA), works with teachers and staff in schools and school districts serving American Indian and Alaska Native children on and off reservations and in urban settings, and with the tribal educational offices supporting that education. He conducts ongoing research regarding the 55% of gifted and talented American Indian and Alaska Native students who are missing.
Mr. Haas serves as Director for the Visual-Spatial Learners Project coordinating ongoing development and validation of the Visual-Spatial Identifier©. The VSI© has been validated for 3rd-9th grade mainstream children and Hispanic, Navajo, and Northern Arapaho children. He has worked as a Native American education consultant, school administrator, middle school principal, education researcher, Advanced Placement instructor, classroom teacher, and mentor.
He co-authored published chapters on “Teaching to Their Strengths: Good Medicine for Native American Education” (2016) and “Engaging Different Types of Gifted Learners” (2015).
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Gifted and Talented Native American Students - Disappearing, Invisible, and Forgotten
Friday, November 14, 2025
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM ET